The manning problem - a solution ?

War Hero

Listening to the start of the debate on reformation of the Abortion Law -

It struck me that at a rate of 185,000 dead children a year UK PLC is missing out on a major resource. If nothing else those who were killed back in 1967 would now have been paying tax and NI for 20 + years, helping helping to redress the age balance in the country. Say the average number dead was 100,000, starting to pay tax at 19 - Thats 2 million extra tax-payers.

Better yet, thats 92,500 potential young male soldiers every year ( and 92,500 potential young female soldiers, if you are into that sort of thing... ) Societal pressure, home life etc being what it is it is likely that a higher than average proportion of them would be up for joining the Army.

What if the State set up a system of homes for all these unwanted kids ? At the very least MOD could help out with its expertise in youth organisations ( ACF etc) maybe even direct the brightest and best into suitable training opportunities - AKA "Junior Leaders"

Perhaps the Law could do with a bit of tightening ? The original intent was that it was there to protect the mothers health. Is that actually true now ? Are we being robbed of a legion of potential recruits rather than allow a few months inconvenience for those too feckless to use suitable contraception ?

LE

Few steps too many in the government control direction, don't you think?! I'm not one of these people who doesn't want to have any government watching me, i've nothing to hide (er...) but this kind of idea moves far too fast in the direction of the government having its own little empire, wherein these kids could grow up to just be a governmental force. It's all very futurist, i know, but think of the implications!

LE

What if the State set up a system of homes for all these unwanted kids ? At the very least MOD could help out with its expertise in youth organisations ( ACF etc) maybe even direct the brightest and best into suitable training opportunities - AKA "Junior Leaders"
)

War Hero

Much simpler and cheaper idea for solving the manning problem , round up a few thousand of the illegal immigrants , theres plenty to choose from , give them a few weeks training , similar to National Service , then replace all our people in Iraq , Afghanistan etc with them .

War Hero

War Hero

Perhaps not but they have managed to invade a country , England , without a shot being fired and making the local population pay for them . And now New Labour is going to capitulate , as usual , and make them legal immigrants

ADC

So. All these potential abortions become wards of court, and are brought up by the state (at what financial cost?). Then, at age 16-18 they are inducted into the forces (do they have the choice). Some are sent to university to do 'sensible' degrees (not Art Appreciation, Media Studies and Gay Rights Through History... We'll have Engineering, Science, Genetics etc). These become officers. All serve 22 - 37 years each.

Hmmmmmm......

Do they get a choice? No? Why not? The State brought them up, so the State owns them. Good-oh! Cannon Fodder! Do we educate them into the right way of thinking? "The State is right - never argue with the State" While we educate them, lets make them really, really fit. Give the m the kill, kill, kill mind-set. Give them the attitude that says "I'll follow all orders - no matter what..."

Does this sound like the perfect answer? Sounds to me more like a Soviet style system...

LE

Yet, the Government won't spend money on helping those couples who do want children but cannot conceive naturally. According to the table published in today's Telegraph, Britain is almost at the bottom of the table of those countries that provide free IVF treatment. The argument was that the cost of IVF treatment would be quickly returned by the adults paying taxes.

Yep, something very hypocritical about our attitude as a society. People in the office coo-ing over the pregnant clerk, child killers universally thought the lowest of the low - and yet we sanction 185,000 legal child killings a year, most on extremely flimsy evidence that it is in the mothers best interest...

The original 1967 Act said:

1) ...............a person shall not be guilty of an offence under the law relating to abortion when a pregnancy is terminated ..........if two registered medical practitioners are of the opinion, formed in good faith

(a)...... that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or any existing children of her family; or

(b) that the termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman; or

(c) that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated; or

(d) that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.]

Methinks there are a lot of doctors out there who have a wierd idea of "grave permanent injury". I wonder what percentage of abortions would meet the original intent of the words above ??

LE

The book "Freakonomics" by Steven Levitt and Stpehen Dubner discusses the legalisation of abortion in the USA (Levitt is an economist by training, but don't let that put you off. It's a fascinating book). Their argument is that attempts to explain the consistent falls in the US crime rate over the last 10-15 years are inadequate. Other than a (very) weak association with a larger prison population, nothing else obvious like tougher sentences, more police, a better economy, etc explains the fall. Levitt and Dubner believe that legalised abortions have lowered the crime rate. Legal abortion is accessed most by the poorest women (the rich can always go abroad, etc if it is illegal) who are most likely to get pregnant accidentally, who are most likely to raise children in poverty, who are more likely then to grow up to become criminals...

If you believe their argument, and not everyone does it must be said, then preventing abortions might produce more potential recruits for the armed forces, but also more criminals.

Space for a quote that you think is profound and meaningful. Generally speaking, it isn't.

LE

What if the State set up a system of homes for all these unwanted kids ? At the very least MOD could help out with its expertise in youth organisations ( ACF etc) maybe even direct the brightest and best into suitable training opportunities - AKA "Junior Leaders"
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